Chronic Pancreatitis in Mice by Treatment with Choline-Deficient Ethionine-Supplemented Diet

1) Insitute of Resource Development and Analysis, Kumamoto University
2) Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University
3) Priority Organization for Innovation and Excellence, Kumamoto University
4) Department of Surgery, Kumamoto Regional Medical Center

Abstract :

Although chronic pancreatitis is a risk factor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), the relationship between chronic pancreatitis and PDA remains obscure. A critical obstacle to understanding the role of chronic pancreatitis is the lack of animal models. To develop one such model, mice were fed long-term with a choline deficient ethionine-supplemented (CDE) diet. Histological evaluation revealed that chronic pancreatitis, characterized by acinar atrophy, fibrosis and well-developed tubular complexes (TCs), was observed after 24 weeks of CDE diet treatment. Furthermore, expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its ligands; serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 3 (Spink3) and transforming growth factor α (TGF α) and activation of K-Ras (GTP-Ras formation), which are frequently observed in human PDA, were indeed observed in parallel with TCs formation. Neoplastic lesions were not found after 54 weeks of treatment, suggesting that a continuation of CDE diet or another insult is required for the development of PDA.